Tag Archives: Hitching Post II

Local Dish: Santa Ynez Valley Restaurant Week

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Santa Ynez Valley Restaurant Week returns Jan. 21-27 to showcase wine country restaurants at once-a-year prices.  Back for the eighth consecutive year, Restaurant Week features three-course meals prepared by the Valley’s most creative chefs for just $20.18 Foodies can savor a rare value to celebrate the food and wine pairings that have made this region a gem in California Wine Country.

Representing each of the Santa Ynez Valley’s six distinct communities, 26 restaurants—ranging from the region’s emerging establishments to long-time favorites—will participate in Restaurant Week this year. The list includes a Puerto Rican-inspired menu at Industrial Eats in Buellton, which is donating 100% of the proceeds to hurricane relief efforts in Puerto Rico.

This year’s list of participating restaurants includes:

RESTAURANTS
Ballard

The Ballard Inn & Gathering Table, 2436 Baseline Ave., 800/638-2466

Buellton

 

Bottlest Winery Bar & Bistro, Bottle Branding photo.

Bottlest Winery Bar & Bistro, Bottle Branding photo.

Bottlest Winery Bar & Bistro, 35 Industrial Way, 805/686-4742

Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co.,45 Industrial Way, 805/694-2252

Firestone Walker Brewing Co., 620 McMurray Rd., 805/697-4777

Hitching Post II, 406 E. Hwy 246, 805/688-0676

Industrial Eats, 181 Industrial Way, 805/688-8807

Los Alamos

Bob’s Well Bread Bakery, 550 Bell St., 805/344-3000

Plenty on Bell, 508 Bell St., 805/344-3020

Valle Fresh, 380 Bell St., 805/865-2282

The Bear and Star, photo by Grey Crawford.

The Bear and Star, photo by Grey Crawford.

Los Olivos

The Bear and Star, 2860 Grand Ave., 805/6861359

Los Olivos Wine Merchant & Café, 2879 Grand Ave., 805/688-7265

The romantic S.Y. Kitchen Firepit at Night , Photo by Rocco Ceselin.

The romantic S.Y. Kitchen Firepit at Night , Photo by Rocco Ceselin.

Santa Ynez

The Lucky Hen Larder, 1095 Meadowvale Rd., 805/691-9448

S.Y. Kitchen, 1110 Faraday St., 805/691-9794

The Vineyard House, 3631 Sagunto St., 805/688-2886

Trattoria Grappolo, 3687 Sagunto St., 805/688-6899

Solvang

Cecco Ristorante, 475 1st St., 805/688-8880

First & Oak, 409 1st St., 805/688-1703

Fresco Valley Café, 442 Atterdag Rd., 805/688-8857

Leonardo’s Ristorante, 632 Alamo Pintado Rd., 805/686-0846

Mad & Vin at The Landsby, 1576 Mission Dr., 805/688-3121

Petros Kafe, 487 Atterdag Rd., 805/686-5455

Root 246, 420 Alisal Rd., 805/686-8681

Santa Ynez Café, 606 Alamo Pintado Rd. #1, Solvang, 805/688-3543

Solvang Brewing Co., 1547 Mission Dr., 805/688-2337

Succulent Café Wine Charcuterie, 1555 Mission Dr., 805/691-9444

The Ridge, 1618 Copenhagen Dr., 805/325-9820

For the latest updates on Santa Ynez Valley Restaurant Week, including menus and dining hours, visit www.DineSYV.com.

—Leslie Dinaberg

Originally published in Santa Barbara Seasons on January 20, 2018.

Cocktail Corner: Wine & Fire

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Courtesy Sta. Rita Hills Winegrowers Allliance

Courtesy Sta. Rita Hills Winegrowers Allliance

A spirited toast to all things alcoholic! By Leslie Dinaberg

A weekend filled to the brim with world class wines and wood grilled food awaits Aug. 14-16 in Sta. Rita Hills. The Sta. Rita Hills Winegrowers Alliance is pulling out all the stops for this annual event. It’s actually a series of intimate wine and food experiences, all of which sound amazing.

Wine and FireFirst up, next Friday night, Aug. 14 from 5-8 p.m., is the Kick Off Barn Party at Sanford & Benedict Barn. Set at the historic barn which housed the first winery in the Santa Rita Hills, located just above the iconic Sanford & Benedict vineyard, planted in 1971, winemakers will share their library stash, large format bottles and small production bottlings (all exclusive to this event) to get the party started, along with an assortment of pizzas and antipasti from Bello Forno Wood Fired Cuisine and live music by The Caverns .

Participating wineries (and wines) include: Alma Rosa Winery & Vineyards (library selection of Pinot Noirs & 2013 Barrel Select Pinot Noir); Babcock Winery; Bratcher (large format 2112 La Encantada Pinot Noir, 2112 Bentrock Pinot Noir); Brewer-Clifton; Cargasacchi (Cargasacchi Sta. Rita Hills 2012 Pinot Noir); Crawford Family Wines (past vintages of Pinot Noir from magnum); Fiddlehead Cellars (2006 ‘Seven Twenty Eight’ Pinot Noir, Fiddlestix Vineyard SRH – 3 Liter, 2010 ‘Seven Hundred Twenty Eight, Bubbles’ Blanc de Noir, Fiddlestix Vineyard, SRH – 750ml, 2011 ‘Lollapalooza’ Pinot Noir, Fiddlestix Vineyard, SRH – 750ml); Flying Goat Cellars (2010 Flying Goat Cellars Rio Vista Vineyard Clone 667 (MAGNUM); 2005 Flying Goat Cellars Rancho Santa Rosa Vineyard; 2012 Goat Bubbles Blanc de Noirs Clos Pepe Vineyard); FOXEN Vineyard & Winery; Gainey Vineyard (Evan’s Ranch 2013 Morgan’s Pinot Noir); Hilliard Bruce (2012 Moon Pinot Noir); Hartley Ostini Hitching Post Wines (Rio Vista Pinot Noir, Perfect Set Pinot Noir, Cargasacchi Pinot Noir); Jalama Wines (2012 Pinot Noir Cargasacchi Vineyard); Ken Brown Wines (2004 Clos Pepe, 2005 Sanford & Benedict, 2005 Cargasacchi, 2006 Clos Pepe & 2006 Cargasacchi); and Kessler – Haak (Library 2008, 2010, 2012 Chardonnay, 2009 Pinot Noir, 2010 2A Pinot Noir, 2010 Pommard Pinot Noir).

Additional participating wineries (and wines) include: LaMontagne Winery (Magnum of Kessler – Haak Pinot Noir & 2011 Huber Vineyard Pinot Noir); Liquid Farm (White Hill, Golden Slope, Four); Loring Wine Company (2010 Cargasacchi Pinot Noir, 2010 Clos Pepe Pinot Noir, 2010 Rancho La Vina Pinot Noir); Montemar (2011 large-format Pinot Noirs from La Encantada, Rio Vista, Santa Rita Hills); Pali Wine Co. (Fiddlestix Vineyard Pinot Noir Vertical: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011); Rozak (2006 & 2007 Estate Pinot Noir); Sanford Winery & Vineyards (Sanford & Benedict Vineyard Viognier, La Rinconada Vineyard Pinot Noir Magnum); Seagrape Wine Company (2013 Chardonnay & 2012 Pinot Noir Rancho la Vina); Siduri Wines (2013 Siduri Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir, 2013 Siduri Cargasacchi Vineyard Pinot Noir); Thorne Wine (2010, 2011 Thorne Pinot Noir, Rio Vista Vineyard, Sta Rita Hills) and Transcendence (2012 Zotovich Chardonnay & 2012 La Encantada Pinot Noir).

Courtesy Sta. Rita Hills Winegrowers Allliance

Courtesy Sta. Rita Hills Winegrowers Allliance

The Saturday morning seminar (Aug. 15 from 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. in the Sanford & Benedict Barn) pays homage to fire. “And the Secret Ingredient is…. Fire” will spotlight the fire and passion of local chefs and their four unique grilling styles. BBQ Masters Frank Ostini of The Hitching Post II (which specializes in Open Pit Red Oak BBQ, a central coast classic BBQ style that is gaining attention nationwide), Matt Toll of Tollhouse BBQ (a smoking expert for the long slow cook with his dry rub spices and big rig smoker), Argentine BBQ Rodrigo Gimenez (who will demonstrate a technique fashioned by the gauchos for hundreds of years, which has been the traditional method for grilling in Argentina), and wood fired pizza chef extraordinaire Steve Clifton (local expert on everything Italian and noted Pinot Noir and Chardonnay producer of Brewer-Clifton) will share some hot grilling tips. Then the chefs will team up with Sta. Rita Hills winemakers to pair wine and delicious BBQ, all accompanied by The Luck, an Americana band from the Lompoc area.

The Wine and Fire Grand Tasting at La Purisima Mission is Saturday evening’s highlight (Aug. 15, 5-8 p.m.), where more than 40 member wineries and sizzling local chefs and farmers will be on hand for an evening of chillin’ and grillin’. Avant, Babe Farms, Campbell Farms, Central Coast Specialty Foods, Homegrown Cowboy, The Hitching Post II, Los Amigos BBQ, RGC Argentine BBQ, Tollhouse BBQ, Scratch Kitchen and the Sta. Rita Hills Winegrowers will be serving up an amazing selection of local food favorites. Father-daughter duo Country Heart will play live music throughout the evening.

Courtesy Sta. Rita Hills Winegrowers Allliance

Courtesy Sta. Rita Hills Winegrowers Allliance

Participating wineries include: Alma Rosa Winery & Vineyards; Babcock; Bratcher; Brewer-Clifton; Cargasacchi; Carr Winery; Clos Pepe Estate; Crawford Family Wines; Dierberg and Star Lane Vineyards; Dragonette Cellars; Fess Parker Winery & Vineyard; Fiddlehead Cellars; Flying Goat Cellars; Foley Winery; FOXEN; Gainey; Hilliard Bruce; Hartley Ostini Hitching Post Wines; Huber Cellars; Jalama Wines; Ken Brown Wines; Kessler – Haak and Kita.

Additional participating wineries include: Lafond Winery; LaMontagne Winery; Liquid Farm; Longoria; Loring Wine Company; Lutum; Montemar; Pali Wine Co; Paul Lato Wines; Rozak; Sanford Winery & Vineyards; Seagrape Wine Company; Sea Smoke; Siduri Wines; Transcendence; Wan Fiore Project and Zotovich Cellars.

In addition to these ticketed events, many of the Sta. Rita Hills wineries will be hosting special open house events over the weekend. Visit http://www.staritahills.com/wine-fire for more details and to purchase tickets.

Hope to see you there. Cheers!

Click here for more cocktail corner columns.

Leslie Dinaberg

When she’s not busy working as the editor of Santa Barbara SEASONS, Cocktail Corner author Leslie Dinaberg writes magazine articles, newspaper columns and grocery lists. When it comes to cocktails, Leslie considers herself a “goal-oriented drinker.”

Originally published in Santa Barbara Seasons Magazine on August 7, 2015.

 

Cocktail Corner: Celebration of Harvest

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Celebration of Harvest, photo by Gary Coon, courtesy SB Vintners

Celebration of Harvest, photo by Gary Coon, courtesy SB Vintners

A spirited toast to all things alcoholic! By Leslie Dinaberg

Local winemakers have been hard at work amongst the vines for the last few weeks, but now it’s time for them to take a break for the annual celebration of the year’s bounty. Celebration of Harvest Weekend is a time to enjoy the fruits of those labors, when vintners pour their wines, relax a little bit, and if you’re lucky, share their harvest tales with the winehounds among us.

The Festival Grand Tasting is Saturday, October 11 from 1-4 p.m. at Old Mission Santa Ines in Solvang. All 100+ winery members of Santa Barbara Vintners will gather to present their wines, which are often poured by the winemakers themselves. A ticket gets you unlimited wine tastings from Santa Barbara County wineries, food samplings from local restaurants, caterers, and food creators, pop-up wine seminars and live music from the Occasional Mustache and Donna Green and the Roadhouse Daddies.

Everyone from Alma Rosa to Zotovich will be pouring, with food from a number of favorites, including The Willows, Trattoria Grappolo, Hitching Post II and Global Gardens.

Celebration of Harvest, photo by Tenley Fohl Photography, courtesy SB Vintners

Celebration of Harvest, photo by Tenley Fohl Photography, courtesy SB Vintners

There are also a number of special events throughout the weekend, everything from winemaker dinners, library tastings, new wine releases and barrel tastings. On Saturday night there’s a special concert at Solvang Festival Theatre starring Toad the Wet Sprocket with special guests Jonathan Kingham and Tommy & the High Pilots.

Also available just for the weekend are an all-inclusive tasting pass.  You can purchase a Vintners Visa for unique and complimentary offerings at your choice of tasting rooms. For all the details on the Grand Tasting and special events, and to purchase tickets click here.

Cheers!

Click here for more cocktail corner columns.

Leslie Dinaberg

Leslie Dinaberg

When she’s not busy working as the editor of Santa Barbara SEASONS, Cocktail Corner author Leslie Dinaberg writes magazine articles, newspaper columns and grocery lists. When it comes to cocktails, Leslie considers herself a “goal-oriented drinker.”

Originally published in Santa Barbara Seasons on October 3, 2014.